Our March 2018 trip to California continued with a short visit to Mojave National Preserve. Although we had been to the preserve before, we hadn't driven the 35 miles of Kelbaker Road between Baker and Kelso. We corrected that omission by leaving I-15 at Baker and heading southeast to Kelso. The cinder cones and lava flows along the route are breathtaking and have been designated the Cinder Cones National Natural Landmark. In addition, we had the opportunity to see the Kelso Dunes from a higher elevation and were able to really appreciate the size of the dune field. There are no automotive services anywhere in the Mojave National Preserve, so make sure you have a full tank of fuel in addition to food and water as well. Public restrooms are located adjacent to the depot in Kelso.
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| Hanks Mountain (1522' 2 miles distant) |
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| Little Cowhole Mountain (518' 6.6 miles) with Granite Mountains (4000'+ 38 miles) on the horizon |
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| Unnamed cinder cone at 35°12'27.20"N 115°48'7.55"W (3763') |
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| Club Peak (4952') |
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| Cinder Cone Lava Beds |
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| Basalt lava flows and cinder cones |
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| Looking back at the Hollow Hills Wilderness Area (3122' 15 miles) |
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| Kelso Peak (4746' 10 miles) |
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| Joshua Tree silhouetted against the sky |
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| Cinder cone volcano |
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| Mojave Yucca (Yucca schidigera), Joshua Tree (Yucca brevifolia), and lots of creosote bushes (Larrea tridentata) |
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| Darkening skies |
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| Light and shadows on Granite Pass |
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| Pencil cholla (Cylindropuntia ramosissima) |
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| Granite Mountains tower over Kelso Dunes |
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| Kelso Mountains |
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| Rain on the western horizon |
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| Granite Mountains |
Entry to Mojave National Preserve is free.
The preserve website is http://www.nps.gov/moja.
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